


The Princess And The Maid

by october_lady



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Red Queen Week, Red Queen Week 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-23
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2019-01-22 01:36:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12470572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/october_lady/pseuds/october_lady
Summary: A short one shot of the wolf meeting the princess for the first time.





	The Princess And The Maid

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Red Queen Week 2017
> 
> Day 1: First Encounters 
> 
> (It was supposed to be longer but I ran out of time so I had to cut it short. So it might get a sequel if there is any interest or I feel like it)

Regina was nervously pacing in her room. She was about to turn 18 in a few months.Cora, her mother, decided that it was time for her to get her own maid, a servant, simply a girl whom she could boss around. Her reason was that Regina, eventually the queen to be, should start behaving appropriately to the status that she inherited. 

 

So far Cora took it upon herself to help Regina with everything, including teaching her and dressing her but with the king’s death she had more duties and less time. 

 

Regina scoffed as she remembered her mother’s words. According to her, the young brunette was too soft, unable to give orders and gain respect, which for Cora translates to fear. Having her own maid was supposed to help her learn how to be strict and tough. Starting today it was the end of riding horses wearing pants or simply wearing pants in general. Starting today she will have to wear dresses and gowns and have her hair done in complicated hair dos. 

 

She was nervous. She didn’t want this, she didn’t want to give orders and she didn’t have it in her to look down at people like they were the last piece of trash. She had no idea who the poor girl would be, her mother chose her. All she knew was that she must be either really brave or desperate, otherwise she would not come to work for Cora.

 

The door flew open. Regina jumped and turned around. Her mother was in her room, regal as always, power just radiating from her. Behind her there was a girl. She was tall, long dark hair partially braided, tied with a leather string. She was wearing something that was probably supposed to be a corsette, her skirt had several layers. Her shoulders were covered with a long cape reaching the ground. Both the skirts and the cape were red. 

 

Her face was soft, without any flaws. Her lips created just a thin nervous line, her dark eyes were hidden behind her long eyelashes. She seemed to be examining her shoes, not daring looking up at the queen and her daughter without being told so.

 

“Regina, this is your maid, R...r…Red or something.” Cora just threw her hand in the air when she couldn’t be bothered to remember the girl’s name.

 

“Ruby,” the girl supplied her name quietly. “But Red is actually my nickname,” she smiled.

 

“It’s not really important here anyway, so get used to it quickly.”

 

“Yes, madame.” Ruby bowed.

 

“Now, help Regina get ready for dinner, she will wear… this,” she said as she waved her hand in the air and a dress appeared on the bed. You could see at the first sight that it was not easy to put on, the skirt had several different layers of different length, there was a blouse and a corsette as well.

 

“Oh and do her hair as well. I would suggest to get right on to it because you don’t have much time.” She smirked evilly as she turned to leave the room.

 

“Of course, madam,” she bowed again. It was obvious this was a test.

 

“I see you have at least some manners. Good.” And with that the queen left the room.

 

The two girls stayed in the room alone, neither of them exactly sure what to do. 

 

“So… erm… hi, I’m Regina.” The brunette smiled at her awkwardly.

 

“I know, miss,” Ruby smiled back at her, amused.

 

“Of course you do,” Regina rolled her eyes at herself. She looked around, not being sure how to continue, being torn between the way her mother would want her to treat this girl and the way she wanted to treat her. There was something about her, something dark and sad in those brown eyes, yet her smile was so warm.

 

“We should probably get me dressed, I don’t want to get you in trouble on your first day. Or ever,” Regina walked to the bed and looked at the dress helplessly.

 

“Of course, miss. And don’t worry, I can handle it.”

 

“Oh, you don’t know my mother if you think you can handle it. She can be quite scary.But she means well.” She added that quickly as guilt creeped into her consciousness immediately.

 

“I’m sure about that, miss. And so I’ve heard.” For a second Regina thought she would continue that but Ruby went quiet as she started sorting out the clothes. What did she go through if she wasn’t scared of the queen?

 

“I’m sorry, miss, but you will have to take off your clothes.” Ruby said, still focused on the things on the bed, now just pretending to still be occupied with that. Her first task was to get the young princess naked. She wasn’t usually a shy one but for some reason her highness made her face go as red as her cape just thinking about it.  _ It's probably because she's the Princess and not a friend from a barn,  _ she thought. 

 

“Of course,” Regina nodded and started unbuttoning her riding jacket and her shirt. 

 

“This dress doesn't exactly look like something you'd wear,” Ruby said, holding the corset up. 

 

“It's not. I like dresses but this,” she pointed to the one her mother wanted her to wear, “seems too much. I like horse riding and I like wearing pants but my mother says it's not ladylike and I shall behave like the Queen I am one day going to be.” The brunette sighed. 

 

Ruby didn't say anything, just handed her the corset behind the paravan. Of course the Princess wouldn't get naked in front of her, silly girl. 

 

Regina came out in a minute, once she put it on. The maid stepped behind her and started tieing it up, pulling on the strings. 

 

“Let me know if it's too tight, miss.” 

 

“It is supposed to be tight. If it doesn't hurt, it's not tight enough.” The Princess said firmly. “That's what my mother told me.”

 

“As you wish, your Highness. I would still prefer if you told me if it is too tight,” Ruby said silently. 

 

“Alright,” Regina almost whispered. She was not used to this. No one, her mother especially, cared about how she felt. Not once has she asked her if she was hurt. And then this poor girl comes in and seems to have more care and understanding for her than anyone in her life. 

 

“Good,” Ruby smiled even tho the Princess couldn't see it and gently squeezed her naked shoulder, sending shivers down Regina's spine. “Now your skirts.”

 

They finished getting the young brunette dressed pretty quickly and she sat on a chair in front of a mirror. 

 

“What would you like me to do with your hair?”

 

“I… don't know?” She looked taken by surprise. 

 

“Do you want me to put it up or leave it down on your shoulders?” The maid asked and played with her long hair, pulling it up and spreading it across the bare skin of her shoulders. 

 

Regina was looking at herself in the mirror like she was seeing herself for the first time. 

“Leave it down, please,” She eventually asked shyly. 

 

“As you wish,” Ruby smiled happily at that decision. They were about halfway through when Cora marched into the room. 

 

“How is it going? Did she get you dressed properly?” Cora looked critically her daughter over. She frowned and pulled at her corset on the back. “This is not tight enough!”

 

“Yes, mother,” Regina replied with her head down. 

 

“I'm sorry, your majesty, but it is tight enough, it stays in place, she wouldn't be able to breathe if it were tighter.”

 

“You know nothing about being a queen, you stupid girl! You will do as I say! And put her hair up! She looks like a… peasant!”

 

“Excuse me, your majesty, but your daughter looks very lovely!”

 

“No one asked you about your opinion! You have no right to have an opinion! You have quite the courage on your first day! I will presume you don't know any better. To show you I'm not such a monster as everyone seems to think, your punishment will be no food today.” Her eyes sparkled dangerously. “Fix the mess you have done and then go to your room. Regina will call you when she needs you.” With that, the Queen left the room with a poof. 

 

The room stayed quiet as both girls were just staring at the place the Queen was standing just a second ago. 

 

“Well… we better fix your hair.”

 

“I'm so sorry, I didn't want you to get in trouble because of me!” Regina turned around and grabbed Ruby's hand, clasping it in hers. 

 

“Don't worry about it,” the brunette smiled. “I will be fine. Come on, let me fix your hair.” It only took her a few minutes to tie Regina’s hair up in a fancy bun, trying to fulfil the queen’s wishes.

 

The princess was about the leave when she remembered the other thing her mother didn’t like.

 

“The corset…”

 

“I’m not going to hurt you!”

 

“Please! You have to tighten it!” Regina grabbed her arms in desperation, begging her, her eyes sad. And was there a hit of fear?

 

“I don’t want to be rude but your mother is wrong…” Ruby tried again.

 

“If you don’t do it, I will do it myself.” The princess was determined to do as her mother said.

 

“How?”

 

“Magic. I’m still learning and sometimes it doesn’t turn out exactly as it should but this should be simple enough.” Regina turned to the mirror and waved her hand in front of her body. The strings at the back of the corset tightened by themselves as if someone were pulling them. But like the princess said, it didn’t always go well. The corset was getting tighter and tighter. Regina started gasping for air.

 

“Ruby…!” Before she could even finish the short word, the maid started pulling the corset apart, trying to stop the magic. Ruby looked up and saw the princess having trouble breathing. She closed her eyes to focus and then she pulled again. The strings ripped and the corset fell loose. Ruby opened her eyes again and looked up. Regina was looking at her in the mirror in a bit of shock. Their eyes met and the princess gasped again, this time with surprise. Ruby’s eyes were yellow. The young girl noticed and blinked quickly as she turned around. 

 

“I’m sorry, your highness, I’ll find another ribbon. I’m glad you’re alright.”

 

“Wait.” Regina stopped her and walked towards her.

 

Ruby stopped and waited, her eyes shut. She didn’t know what to expect. Is the princess frightened? Is she going to tell the queen? Are they going to kick her out? Are they going to punish her?

 

Regina walked in front of her maid. She gently grabbed her chin and lifted it up and waited for the visibly scared girl to open her eyes. 

 

“I don’t know what you are but thank you. You saved me.” The princess smiled at her and stroked her cheek with her thumb.

 

“You are not… scared?”

 

“No, why would I be? I have seen worse things than eyes turning yellow. Although I would like to hear your story.”

 

“I… maybe one day.” Ruby pulled her cape closer to her body and turned around. “We should hurry otherwise we will both end up without dinner.”

 

Finally, Regina was all ready to join her mother at dinner. Ruby went into her room as she was told. It was tiny, with just a bed and a thin blanket. There was a chest box in the corner for her clothes but that was it. She sighed and stepped to the window. It was getting dark and the stars and moon were shining all across the woods. This is going to be an interesting job.


End file.
